EVALUATION OF PROMISING ANTIOBESITY ACTIVITY OF ETHANOLIC EXTRACT OF NIGELLA SATIVA SEED ON HIGH FAT DIET-INDUCED OBESE RATS

Nigella sativa (N. sativa) (Family Ranunculaceae) is a widely used medicinal plant throughout the world. Seeds and oil have a long history of folklore usage in various systems of medicines and food. Extensive studies of literature has been revealed that N. sativa has to carry antidiabetic, anticancer, immunomodulator, analgesic, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, spasmolytic, bronchodilator, hepatoprotective, renal protective, gastro-protective, antioxidant antihypertensive, liver tonics, diuretics, digestive, anti-diarrheal, appetite stimulant, analgesics, anti-bacterial properties, etc. Due to its miraculous power of healing, N. sativa has got a place among the top-ranked evidence-based herbal medicines. In the present study, we are reporting the anti-obesity activity of successive solvent extract by ethanol, Nigella sativa. The ethanolic extract of Nigella sativa was orally administered in high fat, high cholesterol diet (HFHCD) obese rats for about 12-14 weeks. After four weeks of treatment, blood samples were collected for the estimation of serum lipids, glucose, Total Cholesterol, HDL, LDL, and Triglycerides. The treatment with Nigella sativa extracts markedly lowered total cholesterol, triglycerides in blood serum. It also showed positive effects (increase) on serum high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-c) concentrations. Presence of Thymoquinone (TQ), thymohydroquinone (THQ), dithymoquinone, thymol, carvacrol, α, and β-pinene, may be responsible for its anti-obesity activity. The results demonstrated that feeding with HFD had caused a significant increase in weight gain compared with the zero-day activity, which was significantly decreased by the co-administration of Nigella sativa, especially AAH, in a dose-dependent manner. Thus, the present findings emphasize that the roots of Nigella sativa possess potential medicinal values.